Why Breakfast is BEST at Be Our Guest

Posted on January 15, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Thinking about dining at Be Our Guest? Can’t decide which meal to choose? Here are FIVE reasons why…

Breakfast is BEST at Be Our Guest

The Perfect way to start the day in Magic Kingdom – You’re fresh, wide awake, looking your best, AND you can get into Magic Kingdom early! Think of the possibilities for great pictures! You can eat before getting a jump on the day with your favorite rides and attractions.
Experience the incredible atmosphere at your leisure – Early breakfast not only means a less-crowded Magic Kingdom, you can also tour Beast’s Castle on your own while waiting for your food to arrive (or after you finish eating). The details and theming are well-worth at least one visit to this very unique and magical restaurant. Feeling rushed would certainly diminish the overall experience.
The Food is good! Compared to lunch and dinner, we enjoyed breakfast the most. Raymond ordered the Croque Madame “Open-faced Ham Sandwich topped with a Fried Egg, Gruyere Cheese, and Béchamel served with Fresh Fruit and a selection of pastries.” I opted for the Scrambled Egg Whites “Scrambled Egg Whites with Roasted Tomatoes, Chicken Apple Sausage, Fresh Fruit, and a selection of pastries” The flavor, preparation, serving sizes along with the “selection of pastries” was very filling and tasty! (We felt obligated to try some of each pastry selection for research purposes.)
Relatively reasonable price for two adults – Breakfast for two totaled about $44 before tax. Our lunch was about $50 for the two of us (one soup, two entrees and two desserts plus soft drinks). Dinner was WAY more expensive (we added a bottle of wine) and dinner involves adding a gratuity. Preview the menu here.
Convenience – We booked our ADR and took advantage of the option to pre-order our food. Upon arrival, we checked in outside and were directed right on in. Once inside, we checked in again, paid for breakfast and received our “rose” (looks like a yellow hockey puck). Then we grabbed our drinks at the self-service beverage station and were free to sit in whichever room we liked. That magical ~~hockey puck~~ rose directed a Cast Member right to our table with our food when our order was ready. On this visit we chose the Grand Ballroom having already dined in the other two rooms (the Castle Gallery and the West Wing, both shown in the next two pictures). FYI – that West Wing is kinda creepy and very dark for an entire meal. You’re welcome to roam the rooms and take pictures, so don’t worry about missing out on all the cool details.

Yes, you should definitely eat at Be Our Guest! It’s pricy but the experience is fantastic. Which meal you choose will depend on your plans and the amount of time you have available, but now that we’ve tried all three meal options, we both unanimously recommend breakfast as the best option.

Have you eaten at Be Our Guest? What did you think about it?

Lou & Lil’ Joe – Epcot’s Manatees

Posted on January 14, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

My two favorite things about Epcot’s The Seas With Nemo and Friends are riding in a Clam-mobile and checking up on Epcot’s manatees. If I had to choose between the two, watching those big, beautiful, lettuce-munching manatees would be my first choice. I’m fascinated by them!

Lou & Lil’ Joe – Epcot’s Manatees

Recently we had the opportunity to spend quite a while in The Seas and the timing was right! The manatee-specialist was giving her talk about manatees in general and Lou and Lil’ Joe in particular. While she spoke, she tossed heads of (what looked like) Romaine in the pool. Manatees move rather slowly compared to other mammalian water-dwellers like dolphins and seals and that’s part of what makes them so much fun to watch. They take their time passing by, giving guests great opportunities to check out their unusual features and appreciate their undeniable cuteness.

Lil’ Joe was born in the wild about 26 years ago and orphaned soon after. He’s lived in a few other places before moving to Epcot and once even made a short, failed attempt at living in the wild again (he ate unhealthy things and nearly froze to death). It seems an orphaned manatee baby cannot learn from humans what he would have learned from his mom. It’s best for Lil’ Joe to stay at Epcot where his safety can be ensured. He has a climate controlled environment, plentiful healthy food, and a buddy.

Lou has a completely different story. He was living a happy life in the wild until a boat collision cost him his tail. He looks a little rough, but having no tail does not interfere with his ability to get around well. The Cast Member giving the presentation explained that efforts were being made to rehabilitate Lou for an eventual return to the wild. Good news for Lou, but sad for Lil’ Joe when that happens. The look happy together!

The manatee area in The Seas has two observation areas. Downstairs, guests can watch Lou and Lil’ Joe swim around in their habitat through a very large window. Upstairs is the manatee “lab” around an area of the pool’s surface where guests can learn about these wonderful creatures. I recommend setting aside a few minutes of your next day in Epcot to meet Lou and Lil’ Joe and learn about the life of a manatee.

Are YOU a fan of Epcot’s manatees?

Chef Mickey’s Character Dining Review

Posted on January 9, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

Happy Saturday, Disney Friends! Let’s talk character dining today! When our kids were little, Chef Mickey’s was a must-do for every visit to Walt Disney World and I’ve recommended this fun chance to meet the Fab Five many times over the years. Nick’s opinion of Chef Mickey’s is a little different than mine. I welcome all views and opinions here and now you can hear about Chef Mickey’s from someone who prefers to enjoy his character dining experiences elsewhere. What I want to know is this – How about YOU? Are you a fan of Chef Mickey’s or do you favor a different restaurant?

Chef Mickey’s Character Dining Review

By: Nick

I’ve eaten at Chef Mickey’s twice in the last several years. Once with our Godson, Flynn, back in 2009, and just a couple of months ago with our friends Kandi and John and their kids Jazzlyn and Grayson.

Me, Jazzlyn, Barbie, Kandi, Grayson, and John

I’m going to just come out and say it. It’s my least favorite buffet in Walt Disney World.

It’s not bad, but I have some issues.

Let’s look at the good first. The Fab Five, Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Donald and Goofy, are here, and that is truly awesome!

None of our Minnie Pics came out well!

They come around often and spend quality time with each table. Periodically, there is even an opportunity for kids and adults to cut loose with the characters!

The not so great?
The layout of the restaurant, which is located in the Contemporary Resort, is just odd.

Somehow, both times we’ve eaten here, we have been put up in an upper corner. This past time, it was a very dark corner.

There really shouldn’t be any dark corners in a character buffet, in my opinion.

Then, there is the food. It’s not bad, I just don’t feel it’s on par with other Disney buffets, with the exception of the desserts.

There are a variety of salads and a soup du jour, as well as sushi and pick and peel shrimp.

There is Mac and Cheese, Chicken nuggets, pasta and meatballs.

Some of the better items were the small individual dishes, such as the Braised Beef. The Lemon Pepper Chicken was pretty good also.

There are a few other seafood selections as well as BBQ ribs.

The carving station included turkey and beef.

The desserts include a variety of cakes, cream puffs, and cookies, as well as ice cream.

I can see why this would be a top priority for kids with the Fab Five, but I don’t recommend this buffet when there are so many other better character dining options, such as Crystal Palace and Chip ‘n’ Dale’s Harvest Feast at the Garden Grill.

Don’t miss any of Nick’s Disney adventures! Follow along at the Disney Musings Blog, on Twitter, on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Pinterest. You can listen to Nick, our friend Dave and me on The Disney Exchange Podcast where we talk about…well, you can probably guess.

Headed to Walt Disney World in 2016? The Disney Exchange Podcast will be having a meet-up in February during the Princess Half Marathon Weekend! Details will be available on The Disney Exchange’s Facebook Page and also on Twitter. We’d love to see you there!!!

Animal Kingdom – Africa and Harambe Market

Posted on January 8, 2016 by greenlisa9989@yahoo.com

In case I’ve failed to mention it lately, we love Disney’s Animal Kingdom. I actually waffle between Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom when asked to name my favorite park. There may be more attractions at Magic Kingdom and all the lands are unique and fun, but Animal Kingdom draws me in so much more! Asia and Africa, even Dinoland U.S.A. – all so well-themed and detailed in a way that it’s nearly impossible NOT to spot something new on each and every visit.

Animal Kingdom – Africa and Harambe Market

Recently, we had an afternoon to stroll through Animal Kingdom and soak up not only our usual favorite places – we also visited some new places, like the Harambe Market, for the first time. In spite of the fact that it was December 26th and we expected high crowds and long lines, we found the park easy to navigate. Before, after, and in between our FastPasses for Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris, we had time to take things at a leisurely pace and loved every minute.

For today’s Friday Five, I’d like to give you the top five moments of our afternoon at Animal Kingdom.

Gorillas! I never miss an opportunity to visit the Pangani Forest Exploration Trail and this time was no different. I was hoping to check up on the baby gorillas we’d seen on our last visit and was delighted to find mammas, babies, and dad(?) taking a lie-down right in front of the observation window. The area was understandably crowded, but I was willing to wait patiently for an opportunity to move closer to the window for a good look. I was happy to see a roped-off perimeter and cast member on hand to keep guests from getting right up to the glass – It’s good to know that care is taken to make sure the gorilla family has relatively undisturbed time to rest. I watched the babies play and nurse and be adorable for several minutes before moving on to take the safari.
BEST use of a former FastPass distribution area! The new Thirsty River Bar has moved in to the old Expedition Everest FastPass machine location…and what a welcome addition it is! We stopped for a refreshment just after returning from our Yeti-hunting adventure. Thirsty work that Yeti business!
Zuri’s Sweets Shop – After the whole “Poop Candy” controversy, I’d wondered if this place was even worth a visit. I was imagining a very small, limited-offering-type candy shop. I was completely wrong! The place was large with a broad inventory selection that kept me browsing for quite a while. Very cool stuff! The sweets selection was made up of a few animal-themed choices and I was enjoying the cute and clever offerings. I don’t have much of a sweet tooth and was planning to walk away without making a purchase until I noticed the fudge selection included a maple nut choice. Maple flavored candy always reminds me of those Russell Stover Easter Eggs – you know what I’m talking about? They’re chocolate-covered with a flavored cream center. When I was little, the maple ones were my absolute favorite! Feeling nostalgic suddenly, I bought a piece of that fudge and tucked it into my backpack – forgetting all about it until the next day. Oh, boy! That fudge was heavenly – tasted exactly how I wanted it to – and I managed to make it last for several days.
The Perfect Details in Harambe Market! I’d listened to podcasts and read reviews and trip reports about this phenomenally themed addition to Africa. Even after seeing dozens of photos, I was surprised and so pleased by what I experienced first hand. I guess I was worried that the area would not match the incredible details of the rest of the park – that it would be “less” than the rest by virtue of its newness. I love it when I’m wrong at times like this. It’s perfect! It fits seamlessly into the rest of the park and is full of miniscule details impossible to completely discover in one visit.
Excitement is in the Air! There’s a real feeling of anticipation – a collectively held breath, if you will, about what’s coming next. For me it was like the new areas are little teasers for the monumental attractions and experiences currently under construction. When the Sunset Safari and the Rivers of Light open, the park will be completely transformed into a nighttime destination. Then when Pandora – an entire new land – comes to life, Animal Kingdom will, I believe, really come into its own. I cannot WAIT!